Sesame

One of the oldest oilseeds, and the seed behind three quite different things — a nutty topping, a smooth paste, and one of the most heat-stable cooking oils there is.

Where it comes from

Sesame was domesticated in South Asia or Africa and is among the earliest oilseed crops anywhere. The pod splits open sharply when ripe, which is where the phrase about opening sesame comes from and also why it is still largely hand-harvested.

It runs through Levantine cooking as tahini, through East Asian cooking as toasted oil and seeds, through West African cooking as benne, and through South Asian sweets as til.

Varieties

• White / hulled seeds — Mild until toasted. Toppings, breads, brittle.
• Black sesame — Unhulled, stronger and more bitter. Japanese, Korean and Chinese cooking, and desserts.
• Tahini — Ground hulled seeds. The backbone of hummus, halva and countless Levantine sauces.
• Toasted sesame oil — Pressed from roasted seeds. Dark, intensely aromatic — a seasoning, not a cooking fat.
• Plain sesame oil — Pressed from raw seeds. Neutral, high smoke point, an actual frying oil.
• Za’atar and gomashio — Seed-based seasoning blends from the Levant and Japan.

In the kitchen

Toasted sesame oil burns and turns bitter in a hot pan. It goes in at the end, off the heat. Confusing it with plain sesame oil is the usual mistake.

Tahini seizes when water is first added — it goes thick and grainy before it goes smooth. Keep adding water and whisking; it comes back, and stopping at the seized stage is why so many tahini sauces are lumpy.

Choosing and keeping

Sesame is a major allergen and is labelled as one in most countries. Its presence in bread, oils and sauces makes it easy to miss.

Sesame is tagged on 283 dishes from 75 countries in the atlas. These notes are written from general knowledge and carry no per-fact citation — see About.